Pro vs consumer amp comparo
The other day, I realized I could do a decent job of A/B'ing between amps, so I
set my system up as follows:
CD out via "Y" into two Marantz SR6001's (we'll call them 6001c for the consumer amp and 6001p for the pro amp).
The pre-out L&R of the 6001c feed an Aragon 2007. This amp is not of the same generation that would double down into 4ohms, but it is a 7 channel amp which allows power supply and capacitance to go to whichever of the seven channels need it. When used as a stereo amp (as I was) it is undoubtedly a stout amp!
Indy Audio Labs - Aragon 2007
The pre-out L&R of the 6001p feed a Yamaha P7000S. At 750X2 into 8 ohms, this was kind of insane wattage for my bedroom!
P-S Series | Power Amps | Products | Yamaha
For left speakers I used my Paradigm S-2's locating them side by side as closely as I could without them actually touching.
For right speakers I did the same using my Salk SongTowers with LCY ribbon tweeters.
The Aragon fed the left-most of each pair of speakers and the Yamaha fed the right-most.
Since the two receivers are the exact same model, I can use one remote to control the mute of both receivers. Once I've muted one of the receivers, I can then A-B switch between them every time I hit the mute button.
I level matched the two receivers and started listening to music. I play in a big jazz band, so started by playing some Ed Palermo Big Band (which is very well recorded).
I was shocked!
There was indeed a difference in the sound. The Yamaha clearly sounded better. I don't want to exaggerate this - I really don't think I would come close to noticing the difference if I had to take the time to adjust the volume between the two, but being able to switch instantly back and forth makes it easy to confirm any differences.
I was shocked because I always believed their would be no audible difference.
To be thorough, I decided to turn up the 6001c/Aragon by 1dB. The resolution of the receivers is indicated as 1 dB, so assuming I level matched them optimally, they could still be off by as much as 1/2dB, which might be the source of the difference in perceived sound.
Adjusting the volume only further reinforced my impressions! Now I heard the Aragon as louder, but the Yamaha
still sounded better!
I thought about it some more and switched the banana plugs between the speakers so the Aragon fed the right-most speakers. Aha! There it was, flip-flop. I was now hearing the superior sound characteristic I had attributed to the Yamaha from the Aragon!
So, in conclusion, there may be a difference in the sound of these two amps, but it is
dwarfed by the difference caused by speaker location.
Beyond that, I cannot say anything about the difference between these two amps.
I am really looking forward to Gene's evaluation of pro vs consumer amps!
